Rail-anchor.



P. W. MOORE.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLIGAUON FILED Nov.4,191o.

Patented Aug. 19, 191:-1,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. W. MOORE.

RAIL ANCHOR. APPLICATION 1111.21 Nov. 4, 1910. 1,070,978. Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

5 9; 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP W. MOORE, F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE P. & M. C0., 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

RAIL-ANCHOR.

Application filed November 4, 1910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

this specification.

My invention relates to rail anchors or anti-creeping devices ot' the type in which there is a wedgingt action under the rail, which wedging action increases in etlectiveness upon any tendency of the rail to creep.

Among the objects of my invention I aim to provide a rail anchor which shall'beeomparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which may be readily applied to rails of difl'erent widths of base, which shall be adapted to grip the rail flanges firmly and without slipping. which shall automatically tighten its grip on the rail upon any tendency of the rail to creep. and which 25 shall not work loose and l'iossibly disengage itself from the rail when the forward pressure of the rail anchor against the adjacent cross-tie is removed. as occurs upon rearward movement of the rail.

'l`ho main features of the invention may be incorporated in a variety ol' structures.

For the purpose of illustration. l have lshown in thel aceompanying drawings two emlmdiments which l consider practical and adapted to present commercial needs, aml which will serve to facilitate the description of the broad features ot' the in vention.

Other embodiments than those illustrated are, of course, contemplated.

1n the drawings:Y Figure l is a iop plan View of one forni ot rail anchor applied to a rail. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2777742. Fig. 1. Fig. C3 is a side elevation of the rail anchor as applied to a rail, Fig. -it is a top plan View of another t'orm. Fig. 5 is a section on llne 5- fi, Fig. 4,. liig. t3 is a side elevation of thc l'orm shown in Fig. At. ltig. 7 is i pers|wetive view ot' one ot' tht` parts.

liefert-ing more particularly to the first form of rail anchor illustrated. there is shown the usual crosstie 1. supporting thc rail 1, having fianges 3, 3. The rail anchor proper comprises preferably two separable members t and 5.l The member 4t is constructed preferably of malleable iron `and has a jaw (i adapted to grip one of the flanges 3 of the rail7 said jaw being reinforced by flanges 7. .\t one end of the member 4 there is a downwardly extending projection 8 adapted to engage thc cross-tie or other relatively fixed stop for the purpose of resisting the creeping tendency. This downwardly extending portion is pret'- erably reinforced by a, ffange t).

The portion of the member fl which extends beneath thc rail terminates in a downwardly extending wall or rib 10, which runs diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis o't' the rail` as clearly shown in Fig. l. This wall is slightly under-cut, as shown at Il. (sec Fig. 2) for the purpose of increasing the hold otI thisl member i on the other cooperating member 5 described hereinafter. 'l'he object of the diagonal arrangement ot the wall 1U and snrt'ace 1t is to adapt tht` device to rail bases of different widths and also to provide. a wedging engagement ot' the parts beneath the rail. lt is obvious that this wedging engagement may be et fected by any diagonally arranged slot cnt in the under surface of the member l if dc sired, or by various other expedients.

rlhe other rail gripping member F is constructed preferably ot' spring steel, although I do not limit myself to this material. Thisl member is provided aty one end with a resilient rail flange grippingl tongue l! which. as shown more particularly in Figs. l and It, is normally deflected from the main body portion ot' this member to a considerable de grec` so that it may readiiy be detiectcd still more and sprung over the rail tlange by means of a suitable tool. lt is provided at its opposite end with a reduced portion til so as to provide suitable clearance a1- atA It. for the member Yt. (Hee Fig. if.) lt is also proyidcd with an intermediate cut-away portion having walls l5. ltl and li". The wall l5 is slightly underwut to correspond to the cooperating under-cut surface ll ol' the member l.

ln order to assemble both members on the rail base` thc member l is applied to one rail flange adjacent to a crosstit-` and the member .'i is then held in a position approxi- .nately at right angles lo the length ot' the rail, but tilted from a vertical plane and caused to hook on to or engage the diagonal wall 1() of the member 4 approximately at the point intended as its final position; that istto say, as far along the wedging surface toward the tie as circumstances will permit. Imthis position, the spring tongue 12 which is below and about parallel to the rail flange, may be seized with .a suitable tool and sprung over the rail flange into approximately final position.. The relation of the parts as thus assembled, is shown in Fig. 1, in which it will be noticed that the projecting tongue 12 is directed toward the tie. The grip of the member 5 on the rail flange is firm enough to hold said member on the flange in its position approximately at right angles to the length of the rail, so that upon any tendency of the rail to creep, the distant end of this member will ride along the wedging surface of the opposite member and thereby still further increase the gripping of the anchor on the rail. The member 4 will simply be caused to press more firmly against the adjacent cross-tie, but without perceptible longitudinal. movement.

It is apparent that any substantial movement of the rail in the direction of the arrow will be prevented as any tendency toward this movement causes an increased gripping of the rail by the anchor, due to the increased wedging under the rail. The gripping of the member 5 on the/rail flange is firm enough to prevent said member from jarring loose from its coperating member when the rail as av whole withdraws the rail anchor from the tie, as sometimes occurs.

The provision of the slightly under-cut surfaces l1 and 15, insures that the parts of the rail anchor will be firmly locked together and will be held in their closest position Vertically, thereby reducing to a minimum the stresses to which these parts are subjected. It is apparent,A however, that `the device would nevertheless be operative without the above features, although I consider their use an advantage.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, G and 7, the members 18 and 19 are similar in general outline to the corresponding members heretofore described. The member 1S, however, is provided with an under-cut portion .20, provided with a notched or ratchet surface 21. It is also provided with a downwardly extending tie-abutting portion 22, similar to that alread described.

lThe cooperating member 19 is provided i with a rail gripping jaw 23, which is shown cya arranged in the same plane as the main body portion of this member, although said jaw may be deflected at an angle, if desired. The opposite end of the member 19 is provided with a spring pawl 24 deflected slightly to one side for the purpose of more readily co-perating with. the ratchet surface 21. In assembling this modified `form of rail anchor, a tool 2T) may be conveniently used, having a hooked end 26 which embraces the jaw end of the member 19. After applying .in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig.

4, causing the pzwl 24 to ride as far as possible over the `'.tchet surface 2l which, it

will be observed, is preferably arranged as the are of a circle, although other curves lnay be employed. After the member 19 and particularly the pawl 24, has been forced toward the tie as far as possible by means of the tool 25, said tool is removed. In this position, jit will be apparent that any creeping of the rail will cause an increased grip of the various parts, whereupon the creeping will be stopped and further creeping prevented.

In both of the forms described above, there is a considerable advantage in the use of spring steel for one of the members, as this material is not only resilient, but is readily adapted for the configurations illustrated and possesses great tensile strength. As a result, the weight and cost of the rail anchor as a whole are appreciably reduced. However, the invention is not to be limited to the use of particular materials.

I desire not to limit myself to the above described embodiments or to the details of said embodiments, as they are selected merely by way of illustration.

It is ,apparent that I may employ any suitable means for accomplishing the desired result as long as the structure falls within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A rail anchor comprising a plurality of means for engaging opposite flanges of a rail base, said means having connecting portions beneath said rail, one of said engaging means being constructed of resilient material adapting it to be sprung into position on the rail flange after being suitably connected to said other means.

2. A rail anchor comprising means for engaging opposite flanges of a rail, said means being adjustably connected beneath said rail, to adapt said anchor to different widths of rail base, one of said flange engaging means being formed of resilientmaterial adapted to be sprung over the corresponding rail flange, after being suitably connected to said other means substantially in adjusted position.

3. A rail anchor comprising a member extending beneath the rail, a rail gripping jaw associated with each end of said member, said member having a diagonal adjustment with one of said jaws to adapt said rail. anchor to rail bases of different widths, one

of, said jaws being constructed of resilient material.

A rail anchor comprising a member extending beneath the rail, rail gripping jaws associated with said member, one of said jaws consisting of a clip member having an inclined face beneath the rail with which said member is adapted to cooperate, whereby relative longitudinal movement of said clip member and said first member will cause increased gripping of the rail, the other of said jaws being constructed of resilient metal.

rail anchor comprising a bar having a shoulder at one end, a rail engaging jaw having a wedging surface adapted to cooperate with said shoulder and provided also with a tie-abutting portion, said bar being provided at its opposite end with a rail engaging jaw of spring steel.

t3. A\V rail anchor comprising a spring steel member having a rail engaging jaw, said n'ieinber being held normally at right angles with the rail by said jaw, a cooperating member coniprising a rail gripping jaw having a tie-abutting portion and having a diagonally arranged shoulder portion which said tirst iiient-ioned member engages, where.- by creeping ot' the rail causes an increased wcdging of said shoulder.

7. A\ rail anchor comprising members provided with jaws adapted to grip opposite flanges ot a rail. said members having a wedging connection under said rail. and one of said members consisting of resilient. niaterial, whereby it may be lirsty adjusted to ,said other member and then sprung into position on said i'ail.

S. rail anchor comprising iiiembei'sprovided with jaws adapted to grip opposite llanges ot' :i rail, said members having a wedging connection under said rail, one ol` said members beingr miieh narrower than the other at the said connection. whereb."Y said connection permits adjustment ol' said members to various widths ot rail base.

i. rail anchor comprising members provided with jaws adapted to grip opposite laiiges ol. a rail, said members having a wedging connection under said rail, and one of said membersl having a longer engaging .surface than the other of said members atl `said connection. thereby said connection permitting adjustmentl to various' widths of rail base and relative movement, longitudinally ot said rail.

lt). A\ rail anehor comprising two members each provided with a jaw adapted to grip a rail tlange, said members having a wedging engagement under said rail, one of said members having a tie-abutting portion, the other of said members having its jaw constructed 'of resilient material, whereby saidkjaw may be sprung over said Hange after said members have been adjusted in proper relative position.

11. A rail anchor comprising' two members each having means for gripping a rail flange, one of said members terminating under the rail in a downwardly extending diagonally arranged wall, the other of said members consisting of a bar of resilient material and provided with a notch adapted to receive said wall, whereby relative movement of said members longitudinally of said rail will cause an increased wcdging engagement of one of the walls of said notch with said downwardly extending wall to increase the grip of vboth members on the rail flanges.

12. A rail anchor comprising two rail gripping members, one of which has a resilient tongue adapted to be sprung over one Side of the rail base, each of said kmembers being provided with cooperating wcdging surfaces under the rail, each of said wedging surfaces being under-cut to maintain trin engagement of the parts when assembled on the rail.

13. A rail anchor comprising two rail gripping members one of which is provided with a jaw adapted to grip one of the rail tlaiiges over a considerable portion of its length, the other of which comprises a silbstantially lat har of metal having a notch at one end adapted to provide a jawXfor gripping the other rail flange for a short distance. each of said members being provided with means interlocking underthe.

rail, whereby creeping of the rail causes a relative movement ot' said lat bar with respecil to said other member to increase the grip ot' both jaws on said i'ail llaiiges.

ll. .v\ rail anchor comprising rail gripping members one ot which consists of a bar ol' substantially lat metal having a recessat, one end whereby a projecting tongue is formed, said ttnigiie being deflected at. an angle, Afrom the, main body portion of the bar, said bar having at the. other end a notched portion for cooperating with the other ot said members.

ln witness whereof, have hereunto silbserih'ed my name in the presence ol' two wit.-

nesses. i

lllllill \V. MUORE.

\Vitnesses:

E. lt. Kme, (tico. li. Jones.

Corrections in Letters Patent No. 1.070,97 8.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,070,978, granted August 19, 1913, upon thev application of Philip W. Moore, of Evanston, Illinois, for an improvement in Rail-Anchors, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, lines ilfthetrilie out the words of said members; seme page, line 54, after the word adjustment insert Athe words of said members; and that thesaid Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may confor'm to the record of the case in the Patent Oice Signed sind sealed thisA 1st day of December, A. `D., 1914.

[sun] R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Oofnmiasioner of Patents. 

